Mawlid celebration with Sufi community in Dublin

In the first weekend of March 2013, I had the pleasure of participating in Mawlid E Nabi, also referred to as simply Mawlid, to celebrate the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). The event was set up by the Irish Sufi Foundation and the Sufi community at Anwar Al Madina mosque in Dublin’s city centre.

The weekend’s festivities included a trip to the airport, several enlightening speeches by prominent Sufi scholars, and a march around Dublin’s city centre, which was intended to build bridges of understanding among Dublin’s religious communities. I had my video camera in hand because Mia Manan Hameed, the head of the Irish Sufi Foundation and a friend of mine, asked me to produce a short documentary on the connection between “Irishness” and Sufism.